A potentially significant update on the future of want away Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has been forthcoming late on Monday evening.
The news which Manchester United supporters across the globe were no doubt dreading was of course forthcoming a little over a week ago.
This came in the form of confirmation that star attacker Ronaldo had informed the powers that be at Old Trafford of his desire to depart, should a suitable offer for his services be tabled.
The 37-year-old is understood to be keen to avoid a season plying his trade outside of the Champions League so late in his illustrious career, having been left understandably underwhelmed by developments on the red half of Manchester since his return 12 months ago.
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to be allowed to leave Manchester United should the Premier League club receive a satisfactory offer in the transfer window https://t.co/yx8POGB5M4
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) July 2, 2022
The week or so since, in turn, has inevitably been packed with rumours and reports surrounding where exactly Ronaldo is likely to land next.
To this point, the likes of Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma and Napoli have all been tipped as potential landing spots for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
As alluded to above, though, if the latest word stemming from the media on Monday is anything to go by, then the possibility of CR7 ultimately staying put at Old Trafford cannot yet be ruled out.
As per Duncan Castles of The Times, ‘Manchester United’s chief executive is working to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to withdraw his request to leave the club.’
This comes after new boss Erik ten Hag made clear that he views the iconic attacker as unsellable ahead of next season.
Ronaldo’s camp, in turn, are understood to have been impressed by the manner in which Richard Arnold has handled the Portuguese’s request to move on, all the while stepping up efforts to reinforce the Red Devils’ playing ranks.
In turn, hope remains intact that Ronaldo could, in the end, be convinced to stay put, leading the club into a season set to be filled with unknowns.
Manchester United making headway in attempt to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to remain at Old Trafford. https://t.co/rQCJxxthBJ pic.twitter.com/pTm300EVTV
— Duncan Castles (@DuncanCastles) July 11, 2022